Nissin's Impressive Sales Are Fueled By These Types Of Noodles
Nissin Foods has been making Chicken Ramen since the late 1950s and introduced its popular Cup Noodles brand in 1971. They were first to the market with both of these popular products and have been a leader in the instant noodles market ever since.
Sixty plus years after its founding, business is booming for Nissin Foods. The surging demand for affordable, convenient, and easy to prepare foods helped contribute to a 22.2% growth in total sales for the company in 2021, according to a recent press release. Not only has Nissin maintained a robust 30.9% share of the U.S. instant noodles market, it has also grabbed a massive 82.3% share of the growing premium ramen noodles market.
"Our continued growth momentum and strong performance during a year of unwieldy supply chain challenges across the industry, are indicative of our ability to cater to rapidly changing consumer needs and preferences," Nissin USA's CEO, Michael Price, noted in the press release.
New premium ramen offerings from Nissin
Nissin's belief in the growth potential of the premium ramen market led them to release several new products last year. In its Cup Noodles line, per the press release, Nissin introduced a limited edition Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice, and, as a nod to rice lovers, a new Cup Noodles Stir Fry Rice With Noodles. The pumpkin spice launch, according to Food Dive, was a nod to the flavor's currency with Gen Z consumers.
Capitalizing on another trend – Food Business News reported in 2021 that about 67% of consumers like their flavors spicy and bold — Nissin also launched a new Hot & Spicy Fire Wok last year. The introduction of these new products and the continued high performance of Nissin's Top Ramen and Cup Noodle brands combined to fuel sales of over 1.48 billion instant noodle servings for the company in 2021.
Nissin's powerful growth surge has taken place contemporaneously with the growth of the instant noodle market worldwide. As Fortune Business Insights notes, this market is expected to leap from its actual valuation of $51.65 billion in 2021 to a projected $81.84 billion by 2029.